Pearls
by Raouldehadleyfraser
Summary: I really hadn't meant to crash into my immortal stepmother in my father's undersea palace - honest. It was just - well, I had been in a hurry and I wasn't looking and all I could think when I saw her face was "Oh Gods, that's it, I'm going to die."


**A/N: This evolved from the idea "Percy goes diving for pearls and Amphitrite is there" which occurred to me whilst I was painting the fence yesterday. I just wanted to expand a little on what their dynamic might be.**

Percy POV

I really hadn't meant to crash into my immortal stepmother in my father's undersea palace - honest. It was just - well, I had been in a hurry and I wasn't looking and all I could think when I saw her face was _Oh Gods, that's it, I'm going to die. _

"I hope you have a good reason for your clumsiness, _boy"_ Amphitrite sneered at me. I blinked in amazement. I was still alive. She hadn't killed me. Why not? Not that I wasn't happy about not being dead, I completely was - "Did you hear me?"

"Ah, uh yes. I... I was going to ask dad if he knew where I could find some nice pearls. See it's my birthday soon which means it's been five years to the day since Annabeth and I started dating- ah, courting, and I... I wanted to make something for her myself and-" Amphitrite stopped me with a raised hand, but she was smiling softly, as if she had just had a brilliant idea. I wasn't sure whether that was good or bad for me, yet.

"My Lord Poseidon has his hands full at the moment. There have been reported sightings of Oceanus - that blasted Titan will never leave us be, I fear - but I would be more than happy to help you on this quest of utmost importance." She smirked at me. I really wasn't sure what to think.

"Uh... I thought you hated me?" I asked, absolutely bewildered by her friendly attitude. Our first meeting... hadn't really been much of a good first impression, at any rate.

"We were at war - you were one more straw upon the whale's back." I didn't correct her phrasing - for all I knew, there _could_ be straw carrying whales down here somewhere. The ocean was kind of huge, after all. "But now we are at peace - as much as we ever are, and I can find it in myself to forgive my husband's indiscretions. After all, the result of it came to be the saviour of us all, wouldn't you say?"

"You flatter me, my lady, but I would hardly say that."

"Your father has been boasting of your skills rather devoutly." I grimaced. Gods, did he have to be so embarrassing?

"...Could you maybe ask him not to?" Amphitrite smiled again, and this time it was full of warmth and care.

"So modest. You must have gotten that from your mother." She decided, and then took my hand and dragged me along by the arm through the palace. A few merfolk raised curious eyebrows, but no one dared question their queen, and I suppose they figured that as long as she hadn't murdered her husband's son, then it wouldn't be too bad. I think I spotted Delphin though, he looked a bit panicked, so I waved, trying to tell him that everything was cool - at least, I hoped it was. He'd probably rushed off to tell my dad anyway, but I'd tried.

"Here we are" Amphitrite announced. I blinked, and looked around. We were stood before the entrance to a small cavern, the floor of which was littered with _massive_ oysters. A couple of them were grumbling and whimpering, as if they were in pain.

_Son of the Sea God_ one said when it noticed me, and suddenly they were all chorusing my name. Occassionally one would beg for help. It took me a while to realise what they needed me to do - why Amphitrite had brought me here.

"Wha- oh. Sure, buddy" I said as I swam over to the closest one. "How about you open up and let me give you a hand there, yeah?" The oyster agreed wholeheartedly and opened wide. It didn't take long to find the two pearls which were stuck in his insides. I pulled them out as gently as I could.

_Thank you_ it seemed to sigh in relief. In fact, it was so happy that it almost shut itself on my hand. Would have, if Amphitrite hadn't pulled me back by the collar of my shirt.

We worked together in quiet company until I had enough pearls, and we took a few more, just so they oysters wouldn't be in pain anymore.

"Besides," The Queen of the Seas had said, "I could rather do with some new earrings." I grinned at her and thought about asking Tyson to help me make the necklace. He had his own little forge where he lived with Ella now. I think he likes making jewellery the most, because he gets the most compliments for his work with precious jewels and metals. Even Aphrodite herself commissioned him for a bracelet. We were just heading back to the palace when we ran into my father, who seemed frantic with worry.

"What have you two been doing? Did you kidnap my son?" He demanded of his wife. She and I looked at each other and smiled. I rolled my eyes.

"Dad, do I look kidnapped? You were busy and Lady Amphitrite decided she would help me look for something that I needed to find." Delphin hoverred worriedly behind my father. He might have been a dolphin, but I couldn't help but be reminded of Sebastian from the Little Mermaid. The Lord of the Sea frowned uncertainly.

"And what was it you were looking for?"

"Just things."

"Perseus." He warned, arms folded. He hadn't seemed to notice that my face was turning red, in his concern that his wife had either tried to kill me or made my life unpleasant.

"What your darling son means to say, is that he wanted to find some pearls, so he could make his little lady friend something nice for their anniversary. Isn't that sweet of him?" If I wasn't blushing before, I certainly was now. Gods, this woman was far more evil than Athena. At least she would incinerate me quickly, not torture me into death by embarrassment.

"Is that so, Perseus?" Dad asked. No, it was bad enough when I had mentioned this to Paul. I was not doing a repeat. "Is that all it's for? Just an anniversary present?" I groaned - how did he know?

"I... uh. Actually, providing Frederick doesn't shoot me when I ask for his permission... I was going to ask her to marry me?" I hated the way my voice squeaked when I finished the sentence, but I couldn't help it. The whole idea made me nervous.

I was hardly expecting my stepmother to put her arms around me and squeal in delight as she squeezed the life out of me. When she let go, my dad looked about as shocked as I felt. There was a certain zeal in her eye that I had only ever seen in Aphrodite's daughters before.

"Oh, this is wonderful, wonderful. You're giving her a pearl necklace to propose! I should have realised! Why, though? Surely it is customary in this age to give a ring, yes?" She asked me, and I stammered a bit before I answered her properly.

"Um.. well, I don't know, it just felt more right." I tried to think of a way to explain it. "To me... Annabeth, she- I didn't want to just do what everyone else does. She deserves so much more than that. She deserves the best I can give her and if it's from the ocean, then I guess-" I tried not to feel completely lame and cheesy as I finished my explanation, "that she'd always have a piece of me with her, wherever might be - so she'd know I'd never leave her." I mumbled, trying to make myself as small as possible. I heard a strange sound then, and when I looked up, I saw Amphitrite with her hand pressed to her mouth, her eyes glistening with the tears that she tried to hold back.

_Oh no_, I thought, _I made a goddess cry - not just that, my dad's __**wife**__._

"Have you got a plan for how you're going to propose, or are you just going to be spontaneous?" My dad asked, ignoring the sobbing Amphritite. Maybe he was onto something there - watching her like that made me uncomfortable. I never really understood how he could be so cool with mine and Annabeth's relationship, whilst Athena threatened my death every few weeks just for _breathing_ near her daughter. I decided to ask Annabeth if he'd ever talked to her about any of this sometime.

"I... We were planning on going to Montauk for the week of my birthday anyway. Annabeth hates being in Manhattan then anyway, so she won't suspect anything." Now it was my dad's turn to blush - Montauk was where he had met my mom after all. And if I was being honest, that was part of the reason it was so special to me. "Anyway," I said when I noticed Amphitrite had started glaring at her husband again, most likely knowing the direction of his thoughts, "I should get going, I need to find Tyson and ask him to help me. I already have a design in mind, I just need him to help with the actual making."

"Very well, son. I will try to visit soon" Dad promised as he gave me a hug. I turned to Amphitrite and bowed.

"Many thanks for your assistance, my lady." She leant forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"May the gods bless you" She whispered in my ear, so that my father couldn't hear. Out loud, she said, "I do hope we're invited to the wedding." And then I bade them farewell.

Amphitrite POV

As Perseus swam away, I looked to my husband, who had turned to me in a mix of awe and shock. I smirked. How I did love to confuse him. I did like young Perseus, though - the way he spoke of the woman he loved. It had reminded me of when Poseidon had first began to woo me. It wasn't until he had Delphin persuade me that I decided to give him a chance. What had persuaded me to look past my prejudice with Perseus was the boy's own attitude, however. He was humble - a trait that in all my years at his side, I have never seen in any of my husband's children - not even my own son. That was what told me that this Sally who he had fallen for must truly have been something special - the ability to curb the proud sea. That was an enviable trait.

Then there was his reason for coming here in the first place. To search for pearls. I couldn't let my husband help him - he was hopeless when it came to finding the things. But I _always _know where to find them. As I watched him talk to the oysters, helping the ones who were in the most pain first, I could not help but understand just why my husband so favoured this son.

"It has been too long since I have seen the mortal world, my love," Too long, as well, since I have deigned to name him as such. He has always been adept at gaping like a fish. He is given far too much opportunity to practice the expression, "I think I should like to see how it has changed these past centuries. Besides, your son promised us an invite to his wedding, did he not?" The smile on my husband's face was one which burst in happiness, and he held me in his arms and kissed me for the first time in more than twenty years. "I forgive you." I whispered, breathing on his ear. A shudder ran right through him and he growled back at me, with all the unrestrained passion of the sea which I so dearly adored and had so sorely missed.

"We have a lot of lost time to make up for, my dear"

That night I once more decided to let my husband share my bed, after two decades of abstinence. The oceans delighted in the happiness of their master.


End file.
